Mira Sorvino

Despite her sex-symbol good looks, Mandarin-speaking Harvard graduate Mira Sorvino has demonstrated the unpretentious heart of a character actor inherited from her father Paul, whose resume includes c...
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The Mighty Aphrodite star, a Goodwill Ambassador for the organisation, appeared at a General Assembly meeting in New York and urged member states to do all they could to stop the practice, which involves an estimated 2.4 million people.
Sorvino said, "Modern day slavery is bested only by the illegal drug trade for profitability. Transnational organised crime groups are adding humans to their product lists. Satellites reveal the same routes moving them as arms and drugs."
The actress also called for stronger legislation and better police training in dealing with the problem.
She has been a fervent activist for international women's rights since starring in the 2005 TV movie Human Trafficking.

The actor was given $500,000 (£312,500) to make The Trouble with Cali, in which he stars alongside son Michael and his Oscar-winning actress daughter Mira - and Lackawanna County officials are concerned they haven't seen a return on the investment.
Director of Administrative Services Thomas Dirkin has written to the star asking for an update on the movie's "projected completion date and distribution schedule," according to the New York Daily News.
But Sorvino insists the film, which will premiere at the Sedona International Film Festival in Arizona later this month (21Feb12), looks good and he hopes to turn a profit.
He says, "It's a very good film and it will do well."
The officials stand to make 20 per cent of the film's profits, according to the publication.
Sorvino shot the bulk of the film in Pennsylvania.

Excitation for American Reunion, the fourth installment in the American Pie series, is high.
The teaser trailer showed us the Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs) we know and love get a little skeeved out by but still generally find affable, and the slideshow and pictures show the whole gang back together again in East Great Falls. But what we haven't seen just yet is how everyone has changed. Jim and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) have lost some of the passion in their marriage. Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) has become a bit of a harried nebbish. Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) has taken to riding a motorcycle. And, most surprisingly of all, Stifler (Seann William Scott) has some kind of a job that warrants wearing a suit. Plus, Oz (Chris Klein) is back, committed to a new girlfriend.
In the trailer below, we also get some quick glimpses of old Pie friends: Vicky (Tara Reid), Heather (Mira Sorvino), Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), the Shermanator (Chris Owen), and the MILF Guy (John Cho). Plus, we might be getting some interesting developments involving Jim's Dad (Eugene Levy) and Stifler's Mom (Jennifer Coolidge).
From the moment we heard about this movie, many of us at Hollywood.com have been moved by the prospect of a reunion of these characters. The more we see, the more excited we get about the film, and about what it will give to the people who grew up with these characters.
American Reunion reaches theaters
Source: Yahoo

"Hopefully one day there will be a movie about what they're up to today. We've been working on that for the past decade and a half... Romy &amp; Michele Join the Army." Mira Sorvino on her plans to revisit 1997 movie Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.

Tomorrow sees the long overdue release of Troy Nixey’s Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, and while normally if a shot-and-in-the-can horror movie’s road to the big screen is as long winded as Dark’s, it means the movie is a stinker. However, Nixey’s film is an eerie, entertaining, spook house flick—with a premise that’s far more interesting than most of its “generic white family moves into the wrong big ‘ole house in the country” brethern.
So in honor of the film finally opening, today’s For Your Consideration tips its digital hat to the man who shepherded the film (which is actually a remake of a ‘70s made-for-TV movie), from page to screen: Guillermo Del Toro.
There’s plenty to choose from when it comes to this Mexican-born filmmaker, but his more readily loved films like Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone are fairly similar to Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (a young kid with a crappy home life deals with the supernatural), which is precisely why now is a perfect time to dive into one of his overlooked films: the 1997 creature feature, Mimic.
Plus Mimic is on Netflix, which certainly makes narrowing down the choice a lot easier.
Who Made It: Guillermo Del Toro directed from a script co-written with Matthew Robbins (the duo also wrote Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark) based off of a short story by Donald A. Wollheim.
Who is In It: Mira Sorvino, Josh Brolin, Charles S. Dutton, Giancarlo Giannini, Jeremy Northam.
What’s It About: Cockroaches have begun spreading a highly infectious and fatal disease around Manhattan. Children are dying left and right and the only immediate hope comes from a pair of entomologists (Sorvino and Northam) who decide to solve the problem by releasing a genetically-engineered, roach-killing insect into the wild. This “Judas Breed” does exactly what it’s supposed to and the children of NYC are safe once again.
Until years later, of course, when the Judas Breed has evolved into a highly efficient man-killer.
Why You Should Watch It: There are plenty of reasons to check out Mimic, but for the sake of this article and Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark on the immediate horizon, it’s worth your consideration solely because it’s unlike Del Toro’s other films. Sure, he’s still working with many of his now-familiar cinematic fetishes (intricate creature design, and dank, dark places hiding inhuman species), but he’s also working within the confines of the studio system. While this no doubt resulted in a slightly different film than Del Toro set out to make (his director’s cut finally hits DVD/Blu-ray this fall), I actually think that makes the film all the more interesting.
There is no reason a B-level creature feature from Dimension Films should look this good. Hell, looking over the last 20 years of the studio’s history, Mimic is actually the best looking films they’ve ever made. The picture is layered with texture and depth and personality, giving every shot a lived-in, real world feel that you just never find in movies about killer insects. It’s this “We could have cut corners, but why would we?” attitude that elevates the entire film.
On the surface, there’s nothing too inspired about its script or its cast, but when they come together under the charge of Del Toro, there’s an electric current that unites it all. Mimic isn’t just another B-movie creature feature, it never ironically indulges its roots, but instead it treats the material with the utmost sincerity. That’s what makes Del Toro such an interesting filmmaker to me; sure, he’s got a bold cinematic eye, and, sure, I like his macabre fairytale style. But more than anything, I appreciate that he doesn’t look down at his audience. His films aren’t saying, “This is what you want, isn’t it?” but rather, “This is what I’m going to offer, take it or leave it.” And though he didn’t direct Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, that’s definitely the deal that’s on the table.
Some people won’t be into it, but if you’re willing to go on Mimic’s bizarre ride, I have a feeling you’ll be digging the Dark as well.

The Goodfellas star was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes four years ago and now he's teaming up with his Oscar-winning daughter to help create great recipes for sufferers of the disease, which is linked to blood sugar levels.
The Sorvinos are inviting other diabetes sufferers and healthy chefs to post recipes on website DiabetesCoStars.com.
Finalists, announced on 30 August (11), will get to cook their dishes at the New York Wine &amp; Food Festival.

The star admits she was desperate to try out a new role and jumped at the chance to portray actress Elizabeth McGovern's lesbian lover, Jane, in the emotional movie, which also features Jeremy Piven, Thomas Dekker and Mira Sorvino.
Walsh had to stick to a strict travelling schedule to make it all work as she was shooting Angels Crest and her hospital drama simultaneously, but she insists it was the best experience.
She tells WENN, "I was so thrilled to be let out of my television show to finally do something other than (Private Practice character) Addison. I was on cloud nine and I had such a great time.
"I flew back and forth (between sets) about 30 times. It was a delicious part for me to play. I didn't want it to end."

The former Heroes star plays Ethan, a young father whose son dies after a tragic turn of events, in the movie, which also features Jeremy Piven and Mira Sorvino.
Dekker, 23, admits he didn't have to look far to convey the deep emotion he was already experiencing as his own parent was losing his life.
But the actor forced himself to separate his personal and professional lives so his own grieving process wasn't played out completely onscreen.
He tells WENN, "That shock (of losing my son in the film) happened naturally... I don't think it's healthy for actors to use personal issues as inspiration. I was hurting so bad on this movie. It was a very painful time because my father was dying while we shot this movie and I realised halfway through that I was using all the personal grief and pain that was not healthy. I had to figure out for the rest of the shoot how to put that aside and focus on the story."
However, Dekker reveals he bonded well with his onscreen kid, played by Ameko Eks Mas Carroll, and emerged from the shoot longing to start a family.
He says, "I really connected with the boy who plays my son. We spent two weeks together all day and every day going to the zoo. He's just this amazing little boy so it was easy to slide into that father role.
"I left this movie wanting to have a child which I never felt before because I fell in love with the little boy playing my son."

The Goodfellas star's daughter, Amanda, the sister of Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino, reveals she was horrified after she followed a trail of blood on the property and discovered their beloved pet, Unis, critically wounded.
The six-year-old white shepherd was rushed to a veterinarian and underwent several hours of emergency surgery.
Amanda tells the National Enquirer, "Unis was shot execution style! He was just jumping and playing in our fenced-in property, and someone savagely shot him from the top of a hill.
"It's amazing he survived."
And her actor dad is still keeping a close eye on the pooch as Unis prepares to have more surgery.
Paul Sorvino says, "It's unconscionable that this animal had to suffer so. This was a gentle animal that would not hurt a soul and may never walk properly again."
The incident remains under investigation by local authorities.

Summary

Despite her sex-symbol good looks, Mandarin-speaking Harvard graduate Mira Sorvino has demonstrated the unpretentious heart of a character actor inherited from her father Paul, whose resume includes critically-acclaimed turns in Martin Scorsese's "GoodFellas" (1990) and Oliver Stone's "Nixon" (1995, as Henry Kissinger) among his many roles. Adept at assuming accents, hair colors and varied ethnic identities, this bright, naturally brunette Italianate beauty received her first substantial exposure on film as an enigmatic, aristocratic Spanish translator in "Barcelona" (1994), Whit Stillman's thoughtfully comic talkfest. She entered the mainstream later that same year playing the Jewish intellectual wife of Rob Morrow in Robert Redford's "Quiz Show". Redford had first became aware of the young performer in Rob Weiss' "Amongst Friends" (1993), a highly regarded independent feature shown in competition at the Sundance Film Festival. Starting out as third assistant director on that project, she graduated to casting director and finally the lead femme role of the modest drama about well-to-do suburban Jews who fall into lives of crime, ultimately receiving credit as associate producer.

Began dating spring 2003; Engaged in September 2003; Married June 11, 2004 at a Santa Barbara, CA courthouse; A religious ceremony and reception for family and friends took place on July 2, 2004 in Capri, Italy

Education

Name

Harvard University

Dwight-Englewood School

Notes

Sorvino was fluent in Mandarin Chinese and also spoke French.

How an early reading of Irving Stone's "The Agony and the Ecstacy" affected Sorvino's take on sexuality: "In it Michelangelo is described as being bisexual. I thought, Oh I could understand that. What if you just fell in love with somebody who was of your same gender? It's not something you can help. Having an attraction for someone is ineluctable."

"I honestly have not been attracted to women, but I thought it would be possible because of that book. I could imagine that some person would walk into my life one day that I'd fall in love with, and it would be a woman. As a teenager I used to worry about it because I thought it would be a big problem for my family and confusing for me. I used to be very fond of people on a platonic level to the point where I'd wonder, Is this love...sexual? But it never had a physical correspondence. I know now I'm pretty damned heterosexual. It's not hard to fall for men. It's actually alarmingly easy." – Sorvino quoted in The Advocate, April 2, 1996

"My father did not want me to be a child actor, did not want me to audition for things. I was actually offered a part by Diane Ladd to play her daughter on a television series but my father wouldn't let me. I'm glad about that now because I had a normal childhood, I had a lot of chances to try and do other things and Harvard was like an extended version of that. Then I could go and see whether acting was for me or maybe just a childish notion." – Sorvino quoted in Empire magazine, July 1998

"I was too tall in high school. At 13, I was 5'9 – the tallest kid in my class. I'd walk down the halls feeling like a giraffe. Being famous is like being too tall in high school, Sometimes I feel that way even today. it's not that big a problem. I'm not phobic or anything. But, if I look back, there were times when it was difficult for me to behave the right way." – Sorvino on fame to Movieline magazine, October 2002